The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of apple tree given the denomination Yataka, and related to the known Fuji variety.
Fuji is a late maturing variety, which is picked in November to December. It would be desirable to pick Fuji apples at an earlier time of the year.
In September, 1982, the Applicant discovered a branch with some already colored fruit on a Fuji tree in his cultivated orchard (located at No. 24-6, Maetoriyama, Kameda, Kameda, Masuda machi, Hiraka gun, Akita prefecture, Japan). This fruit had colored and matured one month earlier than Fuji apples. At this time, the other fruit on the Fuji trees were still green.
The applicant thought that the early colored fruit was a new bud mutation of Fuji. In order to confirm the stability of the mutation with respect to coloring and maturing, the Applicant grafted the branch (including the new fruit variety) onto the original Fuji apple tree and 10 other mature trees of the Fuji variety (on Maruba rootstocks, i.e., Japanese common apple rootstocks) in his orchard. Continuous observation of the original sport and grafted bud mutation over 4 years has shown that its unique characteristics of early coloring and maturing are stable and are transmitted to top worked trees. In 1985, fruit borne by the grafted trees exhibited the same characteristics of earlier coloring and maturing as the originally discovered fruit of the new variety.
The new cultivar is generally similar to Fuji with respect to branches, leaves and flowers, but its fruit is distinguished from Fuji fruit by its early coloring and maturing.
The following is a detailed description of this new Yataka variety of apple tree.